FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: johnharris@tennesseefirearms.com
May 16, 2018
TENNESSEE
FIREARMS ASSOCIATION: CANDIDATES NEED TO TALK TO MORE TEACHERS ABOUT WHETHER
THEY ARE WILLING TO PROTECT THEMSELVES, THEIR STUDENTS AND THEIR COLLEAGUES.
John Harris, Executive Director of the
Tennessee Firearms Association, is encouraging Tennessee’s candidates for
Governor to LISTEN to more teachers before they speak FOR teachers. Harris was
referring to the issue of whether
teachers who have been issued a civilian handgun carry permit would be willing to get additional
training and carry on campus in order to protect themselves, their students and
their colleagues in the event of a school shooting situation.
During the gubernatorial
forum on May 15, 2018, three of the five major candidates participating (Congresswoman Diane
Black was absent) indicated that they opposed allowing trained and permitted
teachers to carry their weapons on school grounds as an additional line of
protection in the event of a shooting incident on campus. Democrats Craig Fitzhugh
and Karl Dean joined Republican Beth Harwell as all indicated that they did not
support allowing teachers to be armed.
Republicans Bill Lee and Randy Boyd
both supported allowing teachers who wished to do so, and were certified and
trained, to carry firearms into their schools.
“What was disturbing, aside from their
unwillingness to increase security in our schools, was that at least two of the
candidates indicated that they didn’t know of
ANY teachers willing to be armed on their campuses,” Harris pointed out.
“Both Boyd and Dean claimed that they had not met or talked to any teacher
willing to carry a weapon on school grounds — despite the fact that many
teachers across the state already legally carry in some counties and more are
willing to do so if the law permitted them to do so.”
J.C. Bowman, Executive Director of PET
said that there are a large number of teachers across the state who have
already been issued handgun carry permits, with many of them being former military or
former law enforcement personnel. “We sent our survey results to every
candidate for Governor, Republican and Democrat, and they should all be aware
that there are hundreds of teachers who are in fact willing and able to do what
it takes to increase the safety of our schools, including carrying their own
weapons on campus,” Bowman noted.
“Instead of listening to education
bureaucrats and politically correct anti-2d Amendment advisors, we encourage
all of the candidates to talk to more of the rank and file teachers and regular
citizens across the state as they develop their public policy positions,” Harris
concluded. “TFA would be happy to host a meeting for any of these candidate
with gun owning teachers and citizens to help them better understand the
reality of what Tennesseans really think and believe when it comes to the
Second Amendment and protecting ourselves and our families.”
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